Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Initially, the Originium authority that Priseth had obtained was incomplete. To be precise, the Doctor's authority, combined with Priseth's, was needed to complete the so-called integration, which was the prerequisite for truly completing the Originium Project. Even if the Doctor lost his memory, this authority would still be in his possession. In other words, even if Priseth himself wanted to start the Originium Project, he could only destroy all life on Terra at most. If the Doctor disagreed, it would be meaningless.

...In fact, Precious had also suspected that perhaps... there was another person with authority above the two of them.

The administrator had also participated in the Originium Project, though she left midway. However, her involvement in the initial Originium research was inextricably linked. She likely held some authority over the Project—though the extent of that authority was still uncertain. With the administrator confirmed dead, had this authority been passed on to Noa? She wasn't sure... perhaps it still resided with the institute's AI, or perhaps it had already been given away...

...Hey, why think so much?

Precious shook his head, throwing away the random associations in his head.

She turned her head and glanced at Amiya beside her. Or rather, at the [Continuation of Civilization] within Amiya. As a creation of a previous civilization, the Continuation of Civilization was something almost independent of all planned creation. The two responsible for its design were the Doctor and the Administrator. In modern times, this power was known as the [Demon King]. It was quite fitting, after all, the Continuation of Civilization did indeed include the ability to record, reproduce, and transmit information—inherited by successive Sarkaz Demon Kings, it had long since been marked by the Sarkaz.

However... she was very curious about how the Sarkaz had managed to survive in civilization in the first place - or rather, who had given it to them.

Why have these natives with excellent psychic talents survived to this day in this form?

If time hadn't been so urgent, Precious would have likely established a research station on Terra, dedicated to studying the behemoths and natives of this land. After all, natives with such powerful psychic talents are truly rare, and even among humans, such psychics are extremely rare. While Originium serves as a medium, ultimately, training is only a matter of introduction; cultivation ultimately depends on one's own talent and hard work.

However, precisely because it carries too much redundant information, the existence of current civilization has undergone tremendous changes compared to the black crown that Prisses had seen.

Is this what the administrator and the doctor had in mind?

Or...is this the administrator's personal idea?

Noah naturally had no idea that Precious had gone so far, but as the night wore on, Noah realized the discussion would likely go on forever, so he quickly disbanded the pajama party. Sleep was crucial, as they still had to search for the buried laboratory the next day. While it might not have been underground originally, the movement of the earth's crust had buried it long ago, making it difficult to reach.

However, Noah called out to Precious who was about to leave. After everyone left, Precious avoided his sight somewhat uncomfortably.

"What? I promised you that I would help you revise the drawings, but you are still not satisfied with my attitude?" Precious thought that it was his previous attitude that made Noah dissatisfied, and said with some caution.

"No, that topic is over. I'm not one to bring up the past." Noah smiled and shook his head. "It's just that I just remembered... Compared to Agor, you should have a more complete understanding of scientific and technological achievements in your mind, right?"

“…Is that so?”

"Actually... could you help Agor sort out the outdated or unimportant technologies so Terra can be more targeted when copying?" Noa rubbed her hands, a little embarrassed. "After all, no one understands the technologies of previous civilizations better than you. I can't think of anyone else who could take on this important task. Sometimes, after finally understanding a technology, we find that it requires other technologies as a prerequisite... That's a huge waste of time."

"...Are you planning on... having me help you highlight the key points?" Precious came to his senses. Wasn't this just like highlighting key points before an exam? Indeed, the current Terran civilization was like a student cramming for a final exam. But even if they could digest even a small portion of the technology left behind by the previous civilization, let alone master it completely, they were considered smart. But wasn't that just coincidental? Without a teacher, technology would indeed become an obscure textbook. But with a teacher—the teacher could chew up the examples and hand them off to the students.

And the identity of this teacher is naturally the most suitable person to be Priss. If they can find Priss's help, they can avoid many mistakes.

"... Impossible. Why should I help you?" Precious ruthlessly refused. "Do you think I'm you? I can help these little animals without asking for anything in return. I'm showing you the greatest respect by not launching the Originium Project. You still want me to draw a notebook for my mistakes? Dream on. I won't do it. I won't do it."

"No, we can still discuss it." Although Noah didn't want to force others to help, but considering the benefits that would be brought if Precious could help, she had to be thick-skinned. She clasped her hands together, begged, and secretly raised her head, opened one eye to look at Precious's face, but this time Precious was really determined, and no matter how Noah begged, there was no response.

"...Well...I'm not asking you to work for nothing...How about this...if you help me, I'll do you one thing within my ability?" Noah could only start making big promises. Her promises were usually fulfilled, so it wasn't really just big promises. But this time, Precious seemed to ignore her, closed his eyes, and went straight back to sculpting. She sneered inwardly. He was trying to trick her, tricking her when she made the wish—and then he'd even reshaped her body, which was fine. She hadn't argued with him, but now he wanted to use her as free labor. Haha—was she really that easy to deal with?

As for the reward... I am not short of money, nor do I lack any material conditions. What can attract me?

Even when Noah promised to help her with something, she simply raised her eyes and didn't agree. After all, she knew Noah too well. If he said he was going to help her with something, but it actually touched her sore spot, she would definitely not cooperate. So, this promise was probably useless. She wasn't stupid and wouldn't be easily deceived.

"...This won't work..." Noah sighed, but she could understand Priss's concerns this time. It was human nature for her not to agree. After all, Priss didn't care about any material conditions at all now. As for spiritual satisfaction... she couldn't create a Garden of Eden on the spot, could she?

...Huh? Is the scene turning into a Garden of Eden?

Noah suddenly realized something. Yes, what does Priss want most now? Of course, it is the reappearance of the Garden of Eden. However, it is impossible to truly restore the Garden of Eden. But... after all, what is the reason why Priss yearns for the Garden of Eden so much?

Noah pondered for a moment. While it was impossible to get Precious to agree today, there was still a chance. Precious wouldn't leave her side anyway, and she still had plenty of time.

Maybe... although it was only maybe, maybe she could help Precious, or help her find her own place?

Thinking of this, Noah seemed to know how to control Precious. Sure enough... she was a very cunning person.

"Okay, I won't force you. I'm almost ready for bed...would you like that?"

"...Okay, I'll sleep here with you."

"?"

"What? You just asked me for something, and now you're kicking me out so late?" Precious smiled smugly. "There's only one bed here. I'll sleep on it, and you can sleep on the floor."

“…This is my room.”

"So what? Who needs who?" Precious laughed. "Actually, I was planning to think about it, but now——"

"...Okay, okay, you sleep on the bed, you sleep on the bed." Noah was helpless. Precious was obviously an adult, but he acted like a child, vindictive and childish. Noah had no choice but to pull two chairs together in front of Precious, lie down on them, and close her eyes. "Good night."

"...Where's your quilt?" Precious blinked. She thought there should be spare bedding here.

"I live in a room by myself, why do I have two sets of bedding?" Noah said without turning his head. "Isn't the quilt in your hand?"

"—Then you're going to get a set?"

"...You said it's so late, don't disturb the village chief, just go to sleep." Noah didn't intend to cause trouble to the village chief, so he curled up on the temporary bed made of two chairs. But Prisseth felt a little uneasy at this time. She looked at where Noah was. The small bed made of two chairs could not allow anyone to stretch out, so Noah was curled up in a ball, looking pitiful.

At this point, Precious couldn't recall how he could make a blanket out of Originium. He had completely forgotten where his creation authority had gone.

At this moment, there seemed to be two little people quarreling in Priss's mind. Although the process was very intense, the answer came out very quickly.

"Hey."

"Ok?"

"This quilt is...quite big."

Chapter 77: Light Will Illuminate Others

Let me be clear, nothing happened last night.

While the two did share a bed, it didn't mean anything had happened between them. In reality, they didn't need sleep at all. One had gray matter, providing nutrients to her brain cells, and her soul was strong enough. The other was simply Old Deng from the previous civilization. With her Originium powers, she could easily work at high intensity for a week without any problems, let alone sleep.

Of course, if he really encountered such a workplace, Precious would probably destroy Terra directly...

But one night is really not a big deal. Noah and Precious simply devoted the whole night to studying the problems with the Grey Knight armor that Maria took out. Although this level of research was mostly just talk without seeing the test machine, it was still enough to kill time. After discussing more than a dozen sets of improvement plans, Precious felt that it was about enough. It was almost six o'clock in the morning. She stretched her body and looked at Noah beside her with some curiosity.

"Aren't you still going to dig up your ancestral graves?"

"...I hope you can phrase it as 'archaeology' or 'scientific expedition'." Noah's lips twitched as he suggested, "Besides, we're looking for the administrator's laboratory, not my family's ancestral grave!"

"But isn't your family's ancestral grave the location of the laboratory?" Precious laughed. "Then what's the difference between us digging up your family's ancestral grave and us digging it up?"

"...Tsk. So to put it another way...this is just a scientific expedition." Noah was speechless. If possible, she actually hoped to treat her family cemetery well, but since the family cemetery was related to the laboratory, that was another matter. It involved the survival of civilization, and she understood it clearly.

The two changed their clothes and took separate showers before heading to the village chief's house, their agreed meeting place. Margaret was clearly the first of the group to arrive. She was always serious, as Noah had expected. Seeing Noah and Precious arrive together, she looked a little puzzled but still politely greeted them. Noah naturally sat down beside her, picked the fallen leaves off her head, and said with a smile, "You're even earlier than I thought."

"I've got nothing to do anyway, so I get up around five for morning exercises," Margaret replied with a smile. "A day's plan begins in the morning, so as long as time permits, I'll do my morning exercises without fail."

"Indeed... it suits your personality very well. You are so hardworking that it makes others feel uneasy." Noah praised his childhood sweetheart. Precious also naturally sat on Noah's left, with his hands on his hips, legs crossed, and a blank expression on his face. He was completely different from the way he was when they were alone before. It seemed that whenever Precious was in front of others, he always looked arrogant. Perhaps only when he was alone with Noah could he see a few different expressions on his face.

When Jian arrived, he brought breakfast to Noah. Noah actually wanted to share some with Margaret and Precious, but Margaret had already eaten, and Precious——

"I'm not eating it. I'm eating Originium." Precious once again demonstrated a unique skill of a pre-civilized person, kneading the Originium until it was pure and then eating it like candy. Noya was initially shocked, but now she was calm. While waiting for the others, Noya finished the sesame cakes that Jian had brought. Then she saw the young village chief yawning and leaving the room. She was startled to see someone in the yard, but soon realized that Dishui Village had come to visit last night.

This kind of thing was so rare that she didn't change her mindset. However, the village chief reacted very quickly and greeted everyone. Although this meeting was held at the village chief's house, it was essentially a meeting for these uninvited guests. She was actually just a guide. After all, she was the only one who had actually been to the location of the knight's treasure, which was Noah's family cemetery.

As for who she went with... Skadi wasn't sure of the exact location due to memory problems.

"Speaking of which, where were the bounty hunters from last night?" Noah also began to ask the village chief about the whereabouts of the two bounty hunters. The village chief pointed to the shed used to raise feathered beasts and said, "They refused to live in the side room and went to sleep over there."

"...quite unconventional, huh?" Noah blinked, thinking it was some bounty hunter rule, so he didn't delve into it. Every profession has its own rules, and every profession should be respected, even a bounty hunter who causes trouble.

In fact, the two bounty hunters did not abide by the rules of the industry. They were simply scared crazy by Mace. They did not dare to sleep the whole night, for fear that Mace would suddenly come and kill them. After all, they had planned to deal with her eldest daughter. Mace was nicknamed the bounty hunter bone-setting master. It was said that most of the bounty hunters caught by her were missing some parts, and most of them could not be restored by medical spells. In addition, swordsmen had broken hands, and agile people had broken legs. Anyway, basically, the ones who were attacked were the ones who made a living. With such a fierce reputation, they naturally did not dare to sleep casually, but chose to take turns to keep watch.

They naturally couldn't get enough rest since they had to take turns to keep watch in the feathered beast's shed. They had already begun to regret why they took this kind of job. Besides, no matter how they looked at it, this beautiful young lady didn't look like a disabled person.

Of course, they didn't know that Noah's condition had been completely cured by Agor. Intelligence is something that easily loses its timeliness, and this situation is not uncommon.

"Brother... were we tricked by Qing Jin?" I began to doubt Qing Jin, the one who gave us the information. "If it weren't for Qing Jin from the Wu Zhou Alliance, we wouldn't have known Miss Nuoya was going this way, and Master Mace wouldn't have discovered us."

"Impossible! Lord Qingjin and I have a life-and-death friendship. We were just unlucky this time and were caught... Besides, it's not like we have no chance at all. Look, last night was the most difficult stage, but everything was peaceful. This means that Lord Black Knight has no killing intentions towards us. At least we are safe now. There is no need to be afraid. From what I know of Miss Noya, she is a very kind person. They probably won't kill us. We can just stay here for a few more days. Then there will always be a chance to escape."

The bounty hunter known as Big Brother curled his lips and analyzed the situation. To be honest, after this analysis, even the younger brother felt that nothing would happen this time, and his spirits lifted. However, he was still drooling over the string of numbers on the bounty order, and said hesitantly.

"Then...what about the bounty? Give it up? But..."

"No matter how high the bounty is, you need to be alive to get it—you idiot." The eldest brother reached out and slapped the younger brother's head hard, "Besides, what can I not think of if you can think of it? Just be honest and follow my instructions."

"Got it! Big Brother!"

"understood."

"...No, I seem to have seen this plot before." The eldest brother turned his head silently, but found that Noah's smiling face appeared behind them at some point, and she couldn't help swallowing.

"...By the way, I haven't asked you your names yet. Who are you? Can you tell me your names?" Noah shrugged. In fact, he didn't care about the topic they just talked about. Instead, he asked their names.

At this moment, the guy called Big Brother curled his lips, as if thinking about whether to lie, but the little brother next to him immediately reacted.

"Brother, we can't tell you our real names. If they reveal them, we might never be able to escape their threat again!"

"Shut up!" The eldest brother was furious, and he wanted to kick this smart guy into the feather beast shit. Then he flattered her, "Miss Noah, my name is not worth mentioning. If you give me face, just call me Thunder."

"Thunderous... is that a code name?" Noah was curious. "What about this guy?"

"I...I...my name is..." The younger brother had just been kicked and was still a little confused. Luckily, the older brother immediately answered for him. "His name is Yudianxiao. We are from the same hometown. We came here just to make money. We never do anything like murder or robbery. You see...we never do anything that involves human life."

"Much ado about nothing. That codename is quite interesting." Noah nodded with a smile. "Alright, don't be nervous. We in Rhodes Island are reasonable people. Although you tried to deal with us before, no one was harmed. You just caused some mental damage to the village chief. I checked her body, and besides being frightened, she didn't have any external injuries. This shows that you are still well behaved. I won't kill you for something like this."

"...Ahahaha, Miss is truly kindhearted. We admire her... But, I wonder when we can leave?" Lei Sheng bowed and gestured, "We're just a bunch of bounty hunters. We don't have much money, and we don't have the intelligence you need. You might as well just treat us like shit, what do you think..."

"You can't leave yet. I know you're probably useless here, but if you leave, the information will spread even more widely, and we'll be in trouble." Noah shook his head. "Besides, you're here to protect the village chief. You only need to do physical work, and the village chief will pay you wages. Isn't that good?"

"...This..." Lei Shengda was also a little hesitant at this time, "It's just...we are bounty hunters, and we are not very good at protecting others."

"It's okay. Don't you have my metal ball on you? It serves as a warning. You just need to stay by the village chief's side." Noah pointed to the metal balls on their shoulders. "If you really encounter danger, we will rush over to help. You just need to help contain them. It's not very dangerous."

"Is that so?" Lei Shengda was no fool. He realized that leaving immediately was impossible. It seemed that protecting the young village chief was the best option Noah could offer them. "Then... for Noah's sake, I have no choice but to do my duty!"

"...Don't rush to serve me. Let me ask you first... Are you a native of Casimir?" Noah looked at the thundering horse ears. Obviously, the other party was also Kuranta, so he asked this question.

"Three generations are in Casimir. What's wrong?" Lei Shengda nodded. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, I just want to ask, what kind of person am I to you?" Noah was a little curious. She had been avoiding this question before, or rather, she knew that she should have a bad reputation, but she didn't want to really know it from other people's mouths. However, it was impossible to really know the public's voice from Margaret's side, because Margaret would take the initiative to speak more softly. She would not lie, but that did not mean she would not harmonize her words before speaking them out.

Therefore, if you want to know the truth, you really need someone who has little to do with you to give you a direct answer.

"...What do you mean, Ms. Noya? Your reputation among bounty hunters?"

"Not among the bounty hunters, but I want to know what kind of person I am in the eyes of the people of Casimir." Noah smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I know that what I did is unforgivable in the eyes of many people, and I am happy to accept all kinds of criticism, but... I'm just curious."

"...This..." Lei Shengda frowned. He had thought about praising the young lady in front of him in exchange for better treatment or something, but to be honest, if those words just now were true, then his praise of the other party would probably be regarded as sarcasm. He frowned and decided to tell the truth.

"...My family originally lived in the Great Knight Territory. I met you when you were the spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce." Lei Shengda answered honestly. "Later, when it was revealed that you had replaced the Radiant Knight's medical report with your own, we really thought you were a bad person and even insulted you... Please forgive us, we were indeed influenced by the news media..."

"……Um."

"But later on, inside Casimir... they didn't actually treat you as a complete criminal." Lei Shengda shook his head and said something that made Noah confused.

"……Why?"

"Do you still remember your company?" The thunderous words at this time made Noah fall into silence.

"Your employees haven't forgotten you. They've tried every way they can to show others that you're a good person who would never do such a vile thing." Lei Shengda recalled the scene. "Your company is still there, and so are those employees. Although operations stagnated for a time, they're still working just as hard as they did when you were there. Although there's no boss, this group of people still holds the company together... All the rules and regulations remain the same. Although you left Casimir, the logistics network and Hungry Horse you left behind... are considered the best platforms in the country. We tried to join us back then, but unfortunately, we were rejected."

Noah was halfway through listening and could no longer hold back his emotions.

"...Everyone...is still here?"

"Yeah, they're all still there."

"...I see...I understand." Noah nodded, turned away, and quietly wiped away her tears with her fingers. "Then...as their boss, it would be unreasonable for me not to go back and see them..."

Chapter 78: Cavalry and Hunters

Even Margaret probably didn't expect that the thing she had failed to persuade was accomplished by two bounty hunters.

However, she didn't plan to stay in the Grand Knight's for long. She planned to visit her former employees in the company first, and see if there was anything she could help. If everything was fine, she would run away immediately. As for the ancestral home of the Kirilet family, or the Linguang family, she didn't plan to go there. The more she looked, the harder it would be to leave. The more ties there were, the harder it would be to move forward. Noah still had a lot of things to do... There was nothing she could do about it.

Sometimes Noah really wants to have a shadow clone or something so that he can complete things more efficiently. If he were to split himself into two, he would probably be too busy to handle everything.

However, the most important thing now is to find the laboratory of the previous civilization, which is the first and last experimental base of Eden - Area Zero.

After Rhodes Island and his companions finished their preparations, they were led up the mountain by the village chief. As they planned to break ground from the beginning, everyone carried a lot of equipment. Many people carried three or four bags, some of which contained bombs. If the laboratory was buried underground due to crustal movement, they might even have to use bombs to blast a passage. Rhodes Island had about twenty people helping, most of whom were members of the engineering department. As they were carrying all kinds of equipment, Noah and his companions did not move very fast. Noah also took the opportunity to talk to Carol and ask about the knight's treasure.

"A few years ago, several nearby villages became frequented by bounty hunters," Koror said with a hint of meaning. "It seems that there's often unrest in the northern part of Casimir, so bounty hunters keep going there looking for opportunities to make a fortune. Our Dishui Village is located on the route to the north."

"It's a transportation hub, I guess... Logically, a small border town like this shouldn't have any troubles... But to the north, isn't that Ursus territory?"

"I don't know. Bounty hunters have always been in and out of the village, but they didn't cause any harm." Krol shook her head. "Until a month ago, a group of bounty hunters dug up the sarcophagus of a knight's retainer in the mountains, and also unearthed a small box of buried gold coins..."

"There were gold coins in the knight's coffin?" Noya was a little surprised. After all, although it's now banned, gold coins had great purchasing power back then. For a knight to be buried with gold coins was considered a luxury. "Is it the kind with the Casimir emblem printed on it?"

"Hmm...it's that gold coin. It's engendered a legend among bounty hunters, but also brought us trouble." Korol nodded. "Each of Casimir's ancient knights, along with their spirit and treasure, is buried in the unnamed land of their homeland, to protect it forever. Only the bloodline of Casimir, fearless of sacrifice and enduring hardship, can overcome all obstacles."

"...This is pure rumor. These gold coins were originally the blood and sweat of the people that these knights plundered. Even after death, they were unwilling to let go and took the wealth underground..." Noah curled his lips. Although the tombs here might be related to his ancestors, wrong is wrong and right is right. Noah would not affirm their behavior just because they were his ancestors. "And this group of people often encountered tomb robbers after death because of this bad habit..."

"That's what I said... but the problem is that the legend has spread further and further, and the number of bounty hunters in the area has increased." Koror scratched her head awkwardly. After all, she didn't dare to talk about the Lord Knight's affairs. "At first, the bounty hunters were just discussing how to find a larger treasure, but then the news that someone in Dripping Water Village knew the whereabouts of the Knight's treasure spread even more and more—"